J.M.W. Turner: Sketchbooks, Drawings and Watercolours

ISBN 978-1-84976-386-8
J.M.W. Turner > 1819-29 Italy and after > European River and Lowland Scenes > Artwork

Joseph Mallord William Turner Buildings on a Rocky Plateau c.1824

Image 1 of 2
Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘Buildings on a Rocky Plateau’ c.1824
Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775–1851
Buildings on a Rocky Plateau c.1824
D20356
Turner Bequest CCXXIV 61
Ink and pencil on blue wove paper, 142 x 194 mm
Stamped in black ‘CCXXIV 61’ bottom right
Accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest 1856
This pen and ink and pencil sketch describes the outline of a series of imposing buildings, including a fortified castle with small windows and a turret. The sharp vertical drop to the left suggests these buildings stand on high ground. In the middle of the sheet pencil marks possibly indicate more buildings and trees in the foreground.
For the grouping and dating of these works, see the section Introduction.
Technical notes:
The right side of the sheet has experienced water damage, likely as a result of the 1928 Tate Gallery flood.
Verso:
Blank except for inscriptions. Inscribed in pencil ‘61’ bottom right, ascending vertically, and ‘231 | O’ bottom right.

Ben Pollitt
August 2019

How to cite

Ben Pollitt, ‘Buildings on a Rocky Plateau c.1824 by Joseph Mallord William Turner’, catalogue entry, August 2019, in David Blayney Brown (ed.), J.M.W. Turner: Sketchbooks, Drawings and Watercolours, Tate Research Publication, March 2023, https://www.tate.org.uk/art/research-publications/jmw-turner/joseph-mallord-william-turner-buildings-on-a-rocky-plateau-r1202108, accessed 09 May 2024.